Basically, lavender works by calming the central nervous system and promoting slow-wave sleep, so helping you sleep longer and better. So while lavender oil might seem like something that just smells nice, it can pack a pretty powerful (and well researched) punch when it comes to helping you sleep better.
Lavender decreases EEG potentials and decreases alertness and seems to induce relaxation and sedation. Lavender's stimulant effect on hair growth is not fully understood. Therapeutic Effect(s):
Lavender essential oil is a proven, gentle way to fall into a relaxing sleep. It can be used in a variety of different ways, including putting a few drops on your temples or spraying it on your pillow as pillow mist. Lavandula Angustifolia is the best type of lavender oil to use to help you fall asleep.
Lavender oil is a popular aromatherapy choice for sleep and relaxation. Several studies show using lavender oil for aromatherapy can improve sleep quality, including in people with insomnia, depression, and anxiety. Aromatherapy using lavender oil may also increase time spent in deep, slow-wave sleep.
Lavender might cause sleepiness and slowed breathing. Some medications, called sedatives, can also cause sleepiness and slowed breathing. Taking lavender with sedative medications might cause breathing problems and/or too much sleepiness.
5) What should I avoid when using lavender aromatherapy? The use of lavender oil along with drugs that induce sleep, such as benzodiazepines and barbiturates, should be avoided. Lavender oil should be used along with medications that reduce blood pressure, such as captopril and enalapril.
Lavender is renowned for its ability to create a relaxing atmosphere. In fact, one of the main benefits of lavender is that it can calm without sedating . More than simply generating a serene state of mind, lavender can reduce anxiety by affecting the body's fight-or-flight response.
Not only can it improve the quality of your sleep (including those with insomnia), but also how long you sleep, so making you fresher and more alert during the day. Basically, lavender works by calming the central nervous system and promoting slow-wave sleep, so helping you sleep longer and better.
Anxiolytic effect of lavender was superior to placebo in 221 patients suffering from anxiety disorder. In addition, lavender improved associated symptoms such as restlessness, disturbed sleep, and somatic complaints and had a beneficial influence on general well-being and quality of life [51, 52].
Lavender has been proven to lower our heart rate, blood pressure and stress levels, which is why it's perfect for the bedroom. A study by the Miami Miller School of Medicine showed that the scent of lavender in bath oil calmed babies and sent them off into a deeper sleep, while also reducing stress in the mother.
Known for it's relaxing properties, lavender is a wonderful herb to add to a sleep pillow. Used alone, lavender buds bring a restful quality to sleep for young and old alike.
Conclusion: Aromatherapy with lavender essential oil similarly favors an increase in blood melatonin levels in both older adult men and women.
Unlike many other essential oils used in aromatherapy, lavender oil is often applied undiluted to the skin. The work of Jager et al. (1992) suggested that essential oils and their components are rapidly absorbed through the skin.
Today, lavender is primarily used for relaxation and wound healing because of the anti inflammatory property and the ability to boost collagen production. It doesn't contain caffeine and is suitable for any time of the day.
Brain scans using positron emission tomography show that lavender oil works via serotonin-1A receptors in the brain, reducing their binding potential so that levels of free serotonin and related neurotransmitters rise, resulting in reduced anxiety.
Using lavender oil in aromatherapy via inhalation
Evidence has shown that inhaling lavender essential oils can reduce: State anxiety (triggered in response to a stressful situation) Trait anxiety (triggered due to your predisposition to respond to something in an anxious way)
Lavender is one of the best essential oils for respiration. Most well-known to improve the quality of your sleep, lavender also helps reduce stress and anxiety, ease depression, improve mood, and relieve headaches and pain. It's also been shown to reduce blood pressure and heart rate.
Clinical studies in both animals and humans have shown the plant to have calming effects, reducing anxiety and helping to bring on sleep. The key ingredient is linalool, an alcohol component of lavender odor. Sniffing it has been likened to popping a Valium.
Lavender is LIKELY SAFE for most adults in food amounts. It's POSSIBLY SAFE when taken by mouth, applied to the skin, or inhaled in medicinal amounts. When taken by mouth, lavender can cause constipation, headache, and increased appetite. When applied to the skin, lavender can sometimes cause irritation.
Some essential oils cause relaxation and calmness.
While lavender may help some people sleep better and have calmer dreams, it may cause others to have vivid and strange dreams.
conducted a study with 10 volunteers (5 female and 5 male) over the course of 4 weeks which showed that lavender created an improvement of -2.5 points in PSQI (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, p = 0.07, 95% CI - 4.95 to - 0.4) when treating insomnia.
However, this herb has also been used as a remedy for a range of ailments from insomnia and anxiety to depression and fatigue. Research has confirmed that lavender produces slight calming, soothing, and sedative effects when its scent is inhaled.
Essential oil of lavender lacks evidence in many types of anxiety, such as panic and phobic disorders.
Today, lavender is used as a traditional or complementary remedy for relaxation, to alleviate insomnia, anxiety, and depression, as well as for physical ailments such as stomach upset and headaches.
Lavender oil is generally not poisonous in adults when breathed in during aromatherapy or swallowed in smaller amounts. It may cause a reaction in children who swallow small amounts. The major effects are due to allergic reactions of the skin.